Eye on Faith

Monday, September 14, 2015

Judaism minus Zionism equals what?

Theodor Herzl, 'Founder' of Zionism (PD)

Subtract Zionism from Judaism, and what are you left with? The answer to that depends greatly upon who’s being asked.

Sara Weissman of Religion News Service recently reported on Tzedek Chicago, a new synagogue “that identifies as non-Zionist.”

This synagogue’s rabbi and congregants explain that “nationalism-infused Judaism” is “not only unnecessary but harmful.”

Tzedek Chicago’s (thus far) 85-member congregation takes issue with “the human rights abuses and other problems… in modern-day Israel.”

There has been some pushback from other sectors of Judaism. Some say that “you cannot cut off Israel from Judaism… the word ‘Judaism’ was the religious affiliation of the people who lived in the land of Judea.”

Some further explain that having “a spiritual and a covenantal relationship with the state of Israel” does not necessarily mean agreeing with all of its politics and policies.

Resources

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/08/20/chicago-new-synagogue-seeks-judaism-minus-zionism/

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Pope Francis: Work-life balance

Francis at the Western Wall (Photo by Matanya)

Pope Francis recently spoke out against the growing trend to “consider the family as an obstacle, a weight, a liability, for the productivity of work.”

He emphasized that “children and the elderly” are particularly vulnerable to exclusivity of this kind.

When “work is sacred,” it reaps benefits for all concerned. The pontiff stressed: Work gives dignity to a family.

The Pope is therefore calling for “a more human approach to the world of work.” He called upon employers and managers to exercise “social responsibility” when making job-related decisions.

Ending on an upbeat note, Francis praised those government leaders who aim “for everyone to have a job.” He explained that unemployment causes “serious social damage.”

Resources

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/08/19/pope-francis-unemployment-damages-spirit/

Saturday, September 12, 2015

9/11: Dust still settling

(National Park Service photo)

Sinful actions are not encapsulated within brief moments of time. They tend to linger on, sometimes for generations.

Nowhere has this been more evident than within the aftereffects of war. 9/11 has become a literal and symbolic reminder of all that is wrong with such murder and mayhem.

The dust from this tragic event is apparently

still settling. Samples from its billowing blanket of burnt particles have been analyzed in research laboratories for years.

Journalist Michael McAuliff was there at the scene back in 2001. A decade later, he brought his own personal envelope filled with the “clumpy, powdery gray dust” to be tested.

In an article for The Huffington Post, McAuliff stated, “It had a pH of 10 or 11, which is why the stuff burned people’s eyes and noses and respiratory tracts and the esophagus.” Today this effect translates into what is known as the “increasingly deadly ‘Trade Center cough.’” Cases of cancer, GERD and sinusitis have notoriously multiplied.

Components from McAuliff’s analyzed dust sample included the following: carbon soot, fiberglass, chrysotile asbestos, polystyrene foam, and lead. Plus there were less lethal, but decidedly grimmer, “very fine fragments of photographs, fingernails, bones, hair and tissue.”

Resources

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/september-11-dust-pocket-of-terror-911-anniversary_n_954582.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000618

Friday, September 11, 2015

September 11th: All God's creatures

Noah's Ark (Public Domain)

Mary Ann and Frederic Brussat, founders and ongoing nurturers of Spirituality & Practice, are no doubt taking some time today to contemplate the far-reaching effects of 9/11.

As New York City residents at the time of this attack, the Brussats experienced its impact firsthand. They began sharing some indelible impressions on the very afternoon of the tragedy.

Inspired by the poetry of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, Frederic and Mary Ann wrote these words on that fateful day:

I am a New Yorker still hearing media warnings of new attacks, feeling vulnerable and insecure in my hometown, and I am an Afghan refugee still fearful that my village is not safe from the bombs and fighters in the war on terrorism. May I know peace.

From God’s perspective, it is likely that the “side” we are on is not nearly as important as what’s in our hearts, minds and souls.

After all, both sides within the American Civil War prayed to the same God. Due to wise and sensitive leadership during the aftermath, North and South were able to eventually make peace by focusing upon their commonalities.

As the hymn goes: All God’s creatures got a place in the choir…

Resources

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/explorations/topics/view/18/anniversary-of-911

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Pope conveys love to American nuns

Pope at Western Wall (Photo by Matanya)

In a moving tribute to the dedicated faith of American nuns, Pope Francis recently extolled the help that Sister Pimentel and her colleagues have been giving to immigrants in McAllen, Texas.

During a recent satellite communication, Francis made a point of asking Sister Pimentel to step forward. He then said: I want to thank you, and through you to thank all the sisters of religious orders in the U.S. for the work that you have done and that you do in the United

States. It’s great…

This in itself was a wonderful affirmation. However, the Pope then continued with these more personally-validating words: I’ll tell you one other thing. Is it inappropriate for the Pope to say this? I love you all very much.

According to the very heart of Christianity, this type of love is not only appropriate, but also highly essential.

Resources

http://abcnews.go.com/US/pope-francis-texas-nun-norma-pimentel-love/story?id=33517481

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Smarter than Einstein? In what sense?

Einstein in 1921 (Public Domain)

Kudos to Lydia Sebastian, a 12-year-old who recently scored higher than Albert Einstein (and Stephen Hawking, to boot) on a Mensa IQ test.

The Economic Times reports that she “achieved the highest possible score of 162” on this exam, whereas the IQs of

Einstein and Hawking are allegedly only (italics mine) 160 each.

Nevertheless, does this make Sebastian any smarter than these renowned physicists? It seems that the answer to this would depend upon the challenge at hand.

For example, Sebastian “has been playing the violin since aged four.” Perhaps her musical intelligence far exceeds that of either physicist.

Intelligence seems to be quite multifaceted, as proposed by Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. One woman’s genius might be another man’s learning curve.

Yet, calling one person “smarter” than another might need quite a bit of qualifying explanation. Besides, such overall judgments are often more debilitating than they are uplifting.

Resources

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/lydia-sebastian-12-year-old-indian-origin-girl-with-iq-higher-than-albert-einstein/articleshow/48854014.cms

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Stonehenge revised: New discoveries

Stonehenge in 2014 (Photo by Diego Delso)

Much of what has happened at any location thousands of years ago remains a mystery.

It is therefore understandable that the bulk of what we’ve theorized about Stonehenge is now subject to revision.

Ian Sample of The Guardian reports that archaeologists have recently discovered

fragments “of a massive stone monument buried under a thick, grassy bank only two miles from Stonehenge.”

Ground-penetrating radar revealed “about 30 intact stones measuring up to 4.5m tall.” They are thought to have been part of a “ritual arena.”

This discovery, plus earlier nearby ones such as Durrington Walls and the Cursus, have been fundamentally changing many views about Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is now seen as just part of a larger “Hidden Landscape Project.” The overall site appears to be “one of the largest Neolithic settlements in Europe.”

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeology-on-steroids-huge-ritual-arena-discovered-near-stonehenge/ar-AAe0XKH?ocid=ansmsnnews11